Why a Killer Instinct Loses Inbound Deals for Salespeople
My dog knows that he shouldn’t prop himself up on the coffee table and steal my two-year-old’s lunch when he walks away.
As much as it frustrates me, I know it is only natural for him to snatch a sandwich that is right in front of him.
I also know it's only natural for salespeople to want all leads – inbound and outbound, top of the funnel and bottom of the funnel – to close as quickly as possible.
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Most organizations feed their salespeople bottom of the funnel leads that are asking for a product demo or sales call. They are accustomed to “taking orders” from leads to get the sale. It goes something like this:
- The lead asks for more information about a product or service.
- I call the lead.
- The lead tells me what product they are interested in.
- I show them the product and the price.
- If it fits, we have a deal.
This pattern is why sales teams often get a rude awakening when they are asked to start working inbound leads.
Can You Survive Without Inbound Leads?
Some of you may be thinking, “But, why can’t life go on like it is? I like the ease of order taking.”
While this model results in sales, it also means that your company is leaving money on the table if that is their sole sales approach.
Sales-ready, bottom of the funnels leads make up only a small percentage of people researching your type of product or service with the intent to make a purchase. Inbound leads significantly expand the pool of hand-raisers that your salespeople can start building relationships with.
However, your sales team will kill the deal if they approach inbound leads with a traditional bottom of the funnel mentality. Prospective customers will go dark on you if you push for a demo or contract before they are ready.
Unfortunately, companies that are adding inbound leads to the mix don’t often arm their traditional salespeople with the tools, mindset, and processes to close inbound leads.
This leads to frustration (or worst) on all sides – executives, sales, marketing, etc.
How to Close More Inbound Leads
In this episode of the Pipeline Ops podcast, I teach you the one mindset shift that will turn old-school salespeople into inbound sales rainmakers.
